


Pet sitting

by Amaratsu



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Kinda, Oblivious, Pancakes, REPRESENT, Slow Burn, Team JNPR - Freeform, friends being friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25008796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaratsu/pseuds/Amaratsu
Summary: Blake Belladonna doesn't need people, she's used to solitude. So, when spring break rolls around, she assures her teammates that she'll be fine by herself. She might even get to work through that book she's been saving for when Yang's not around to catch her! Little does she know that machinations are in place to keep her from falling back into her loner ways...
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Blake Belladonna, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos & Blake Belladonna, Team JNPR & Blake Belladonna
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, hope this finds you all happy and healthy!  
> Before I get to the meat of this post, I just want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who read my previous story Duramen. That was the first time I ever posted a piece of my writing online, and it meant more to me than I could ever express to see it read by people just like you. Thank you.
> 
> To those of you who are waiting for chapter two of Duramen, it's coming, no worries. This was supposed to be a palate-cleanser after writing the first chapter and it got way longer than I expected. That being said, I'm nearly done with Pet sitting, I just decided to split it into two so I could get something out there before people thought I'd ditched the site. These past few weeks have been crazy with family stuff and moving to a new apartment, so I haven't had a ton of time to write. My hope is that I'll be able to finish up this story by the end of the week and (with any luck) get the next chapter of Duramen out the door in the next week or two.
> 
> Maybe I should start a blog or something so anyone interested could check in and make sure I didn't choke to death on a chicken nugget or something... Food for thought.  
> I hope you enjoy!

The first hint of trouble came when Ren sat across from her in Beacon's expansive—and empty—library.

It was spring break, and practically all of Beacon's students had left to spend time with family. Blake had seen Yang and Ruby off that morning, too eager to get some time away from The Beast—er, Zwei—to take them up on their repeated offers to put her up in Patch with them for the break. Weiss had been spirited away to spend some quality time with her sister, something that she had been greatly looking forward to. She'd been smiling so widely in the days before she left that Yang had jokingly checked beneath her bed for the 'real Weiss'.

So, yeah.

She'd miss them, but she was hardly unaccustomed to solitude. She'd been looking forward to the opportunity to get some reading done, doubly so now that she was safe from the judging eyes of a certain nosy blond.

Seriously, just because she liked to use book jackets didn't mean she had anything to hide! She just… appreciated how they felt is all. Yeah.

She'd been pleasantly lost in one of her _perfectly innocent_ books when the scraping of chair legs pulled her attention to the boy claiming the seat across from her. It was deliberate of course, no way Ren of all people would have had any trouble staying silent, a quiet sound to let her know he was there. Ren settled down in his seat with a nearly inaudible sigh with a book of his own, although his was uncovered. It appeared to be a cookbook of some kind, one focused on breakfast foods if the image on the front was anything to go off. Ren flicked the book open to a point about halfway through only to pause when he noticed her pointed stare.

"Nora's not with me today." He assured her.

She raised a brow.

"She's really not. Jaune's taking one for the team." He said, one side of his mouth quirking up in amusement at her surprised blink, "Told her that there was a shop in Vale whose pancakes could stack up to mine. She has to defend my honor." Blake sent a concerned look in the general direction of Vale, Faunus ears straining to see if they could catch the sounds of any distant explosions, and Ren gave her a small smile. "It'll fine, she's got Jaune with her." Apparently caught on to the fact that his words had done _nothing_ to calm her, because he rolled his eyes. "He already managed to convince her to keep their little trip quiet, something about how the greatest heroes defend the innocent without them being any the wiser. So, I know nothing about their trip to 'buy supplies', and _definitely_ won't find out that she was 'cheating on my pancakes' even if it was in defense of them." He didn't laugh, but she could see his amusement in the twitch of his lips, "Nora needs to work on her inside voice."

"Yang too." Blake said quietly, giving him the smallest of conspiratorial smiles as she settled back into her story. Ren did the same, and they lapsed into a companionable silence that was only broken by the flipping of pages. Minutes slipped by and Blake found herself relaxing ever so slightly, muscles she hadn't realized she'd been holding tight easing at the familiar presence across from her. She… wasn't entirely sure what to attribute that to. Living at Beacon had changed her in ways she still didn't fully understand, and she supposed she had her teammates to thank for that.

She wondered sometimes what her old partner would have thought of them… before immediately shutting down _that_ line of thought with a shiver.

Yang and Adam were so different they might as well have been night and day. The blonde was bubbly, boisterous, _nosy_ ; If she thought something was up with one of her teammates, she _had_ to get involved. When Blake had worked herself to the bone trying to figure out what The White Fang were doing in Vale, her partner had taken it upon herself to knock some sense into her. Literally. When she'd laid her heart bare to Blake, revealed her own desperate quest for answers, the Faunus had tried to brush it off. Yang hadn't let her. She'd barely raised her voice, barely done more than given Blake a few shoves, but it had been enough to show her just how exhausted she'd been.

And then Yang had embraced her.

How long had it been since she'd been held like that? When was the last time another's touch had made her feel safe and loved?

Ruby had once jokingly called her sister the team mom; Blake had privately agreed.

If her time in The Fang had made her a warrior, her time at Beacon—ironically enough—had made her a person.

Blake Belladonna didn't need people. She was used to solitude; She'd burned her bridges long ago… But if Ren noticed the way her shoulders untensed as the minutes passed, he kept it to himself.

/*/

Blake started to think something was up when she'd looked up from fighting some training bots later that evening to find Jaune watching her from the stands. Team JNPR's blonde leader had given her an awkward wave, one she'd acknowledged with a hesitant nod as she sheathed Gambol Shroud behind her. She supposed he could have been drawn by the sounds of combat echoing across the practically abandoned campus, but paranoid part of her couldn't help but note how odd it was to run into a member of her sister team twice in the same day.

Having been acknowledged, Jaune hopped the low railing and dropped to the floor before the arena, only to let out a surprised grunt as he landed heavily. Blake blinked, focusing on him properly for the first time, and was somewhat alarmed to note a few smudges and dents littering his normally spotless armor. "What happened?" She asked, taken aback by his frazzled appearance.

Jaune rolled his eyes and responded with a single word that really shouldn't have explained as much as it did: "Nora."

Ah. Well that explained the odd scent of pancakes that wafted up to her nose at his approach. She wondered idly if they'd be hearing about a mysterious case of arson in the near future. Was it too late to tell Ren that she told him so? "What can I help you with?" She said instead, aiming for polite but only making it about halfway to tolerating. She had nothing against team JNPR's resident dork, but that didn't mean she was looking for an audience.

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, apparently picking up on that, "Er, well, you see…" He took a deep breath, "I've been kinda hoping that you'd be willing to go a round with me? Gimme a few pointers?"

Blake gave him a look that might have been a just a _little_ insulting considering how horrified it was. "You want me to train you?!"

"Nothing with that level of commitment!" Jaune clarified hurriedly, "Just a spar or something. Honestly, I've been meaning to ask for a while, and so when I saw you were in here training, I thought 'well Jaune, there's your chance!' and so er, here I am?"

"Okay…" Blake said, drawing out the word. Again, she had nothing against Jaune as a person… but if Yang was the Blonde Bombshell of the two sister teams, then Jaune was the dud. Saying that she'd never expected him to seek her out as a sparring partner was an understatement. Although perhaps it made sense if she considered what other options he had.

It ought to say something that despite being an ex-terrorist she wasn't the most intimidating of her teammates for him to approach with such a question.

Besides, didn't he have Pyrrha helping him?

When she asked him as much, he shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "That's… actually kinda why I'm here." He said, sounding embarrassed, "Pyr's an amazing teacher, better than I deserve, so I'm worried about, I dunno, letting her down. Wasting her time."

Blake snorted, she doubted that. She very much doubted the redhead considered spending time with—ahem, 'training' Jaune to be a waste of time. She was fairly certain that everyone _besides_ the clueless boy in front of her knew that Mistral's four-time champion had been mooning over him since day one.

Jaune misread her snort because of course he did. "Yeah," He said with a self-deprecating chuckle, "Little late for that, I know, but I figured it was worth a shot."

"So why me?" Blake asked diplomatically, not even bothering to try and fight back against his cluelessness. She recognized a losing battle when she saw it, and she was _not_ getting involved in whatever stupidity was going on in Jaune's love life.

"Oh," Jaune said, brightening instantly when her response wasn't an outright refusal, "That's easy! Your fighting style's really different from mine and Pyrrha's, but you use the same type of weapon."

Blake blinked, glancing back at her handgun/katana/cleaver/kusarigama before giving his simple sword and shield a rather pointed look. "Same type of weapon." She repeated drily. She was a little glad Ruby wasn't there, her little leader might have had an aneurysm.

"Well, yeah." Jaune soldiered on, either missing or ignoring her sarcasm, "Swords." He scratched his head, "Huh, now that I think about it, you're the only other member of either of our teams that uses weapons like ours."

"Weiss uses a sword."

"A pointy sword." Jaune stated, "It's got the 'stab' part down, but our weapons and styles rely more on the 'swish' thing."

Blake… wasn't going to dignify that.

"Alright," She said, rubbing her forehead and deciding that it would be best to get this over with rather than argue with the blonde (Maybe Yang was conditioning her?), "Assuming I say yes, what exactly are you hoping for?"

"Just a few spars!" Jaune said quickly, his eyes wide and earnest, "Miss Goodwitch doesn't really pair me with any variety in combat class—not that I blame her or anything!—so I thought maybe going a few rounds with you would be a good change of pace." He raised his hand, expression brimming with sincerity, "You don't even gotta give me tips or anything, just knock me around the ring for a bit and I'll get out of your hair. Arc's word."

"That's it?" Blake asked, hidden cat ears making her bow twitch in surprise, "I can't imagine that would be especially helpful."

"Eh." Jaune said with a sheepish smile, "I, uh, learn better from this sort of thing. The theoretical side of things just kinda goes right over my head." He shifted awkwardly, "At least that's what Pyrrha says."

Blake snorted softly; there he went again with his habit of quoting the people he respected. She only wished Pyrrha had been around to hear it, her crush must think highly of her to use her words the same way he so often invoked his parent's. She glanced at the time on her scroll thoughtfully, she _had_ gotten most of the way through her workout and it wasn't like the training bots posed much of a challenge for her. "Alright," She decided, "I'll spar with you this time."

Jaune's smile was blinding, but he kept his excitement in check as he gave her an eager nod and climbed into the ring. The combat stance he settled into was basic, but effective. His sword was chambered and ready, eyes peeking out from behind the shield that covered his vitals. He gave her an expectant look, waiting for her signal to begin, and at her nod he exploded into motion.

It might have been a little patronizing, but Blake was still a little impressed by his thinking. Jaune's sword and shield may have been—as Ruby would say—classics, but they lacked the array of options more modern weapons like her own possessed. Being completely without a ranged option, Jaune _needed_ to get in close to fight her effectively or run the risk of being picked off at a distance.

Jaune covered the distance between them in a flash, shield held protectively in front of him and his body kept low to afford the most coverage possible. Blake fell back into a ready-stance, eyes narrowing as she caught the way his shield arm moved minutely closer to himself before he lashed out with his shield. The air seemed to shiver and shift as his arm passed harmlessly through her body, his eyes widening in shock as she burst through the clone she'd left behind and slashed low at his stomach.

She'd give him this: Pyrrha had done a good job training his reflexes. Jaune threw himself to the side, rolling and coming up on one knee with his eyes wide and weapons at the ready. Just in time too, she lunged for his throat and he responded to by trying to transfix her speeding form on his blade. Once more, it passed through her form harmlessly as the illusionary clone she left behind took the blow in her place. Blake had the pleasure seeing his eyes widen comically as she sailed above him, the cleaver form of Gambol Shroud lashing downward for his unprotected back.

He must have seen something out of the corner of his eye because he twisted forward with a shocked exclamation and managed to catch her blade on one of his shoulder plates, saving his aura from a nasty blow. It wasn't quite enough to stop the force behind her strike, however, and he staggered forward off balance. Something she took full advantage of. Gambol Shroud glinted darkly as it danced beneath the overhead lights in a flurry of duel slashes that took full advantage of her acrobatic abilities. Jaune tried to keep up, backpedaling wildly, but it clearly took everything he had to just keep the metal of his weapons between his skin and the whirlwind of blades that was Blake Belladonna. Something had to give, and in the end, it was his lack of experience that gave her the opening she needed.

Her attacks came from nearly every angle, and she made full use of her Semblance to get behind him and strike from his blind spots. An experienced fighter may have been able to predict her reliance on attacks from the rear, or perhaps a quick once could have been able to keep up or make some distance. Jaune was neither. Desperate to protect himself from her relentless assault, his footwork faltered and fell apart. Without that solid foundation, blows that he'd once managed to deflect with ease pushed him off balance and her blades soon sparked off aura.

Enough of this. She knocked a desperate swing of his weapon aside, the blow unbalanced and weak, and planted both of her feet on his shield. His eyes widened as she kicked off, knocking the wind out of his lungs as she drove his own tool back into him and took to the air. He staggered back but caught himself on his back foot, barely managing to get his shield between himself and the second and third bullets she fired down on him as she backflipped away.

Head covered, he failed to see the ribbon that snapped around the leg he'd caught himself on.

One little tug and the swordsman fell with a startled cry, his head cracking on the floor of the arena. She thought he might have tried to roll away, but his movements were sluggish, and she halted him by stomping on the wrist holding his sword. By the time he looked up her blade was already tickling the hollow of his throat.

He blinked up at her, before his head fell back with a defeated sigh. "They always did say it was the quiet ones you had to look out for." He joked weakly.

"You saying you'd rather fight Yang?" She asked drily.

Jaune's face went white, but then his eyes flicked down to the sword still resting against his throat, "Considering that _you're_ the one holding a sword to me right now… I'm not really sure how to answer that." He said with a nervous laugh.

She supposed that was fair. She sheathed Gambol Shroud behind her and offered a hand to the blonde, who took it with a grateful smile. "So, learn anything useful?" She asked conversationally as he staggered to his feet.

"Besides the fact that I never, _ever_ want to make you mad?"

Her lipped quirked just a little bit. "Besides that." She affirmed.

"Tons." He said with an honest shrug, catching her a little off-guard. She'd humored him, but she hadn't really expected he'd learn much through his desperate panic. He must have seen the confusion that flashed across her face because he gave her a lopsided smile, it was a surprisingly genuine expression, one that reminded her of Ruby. The two of them were like night and day when it came to combat, but they were identically earnest individuals who wore their emotions on their sleeves. "I was right when I said your style was different. Pyrrha's always holding back so she doesn't crush me in the first few seconds, gives me time to think and regroup. Cardin's aggressive, but he's slower and can only really swing that mace so many ways." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, giving her an unsure smile, "So yeah, I learned a lot. Pyr always says footwork's important, and fighting you helped hammer home how true that was."

"Yeah, it's pretty important…" Blake echoed awkwardly, not sure how else to respond. Not to say she hadn't been willing to help, but that was a far cry from expecting to have _been_ helpful.

"Thanks for not holding back by the way."

Blake blinked, "What?"

"Er, a lot I mean." Jaune backpedaled quickly, misunderstanding her confusion, "I'm sure you were holding back a bit since, well, I'm still conscious and all." He broke off with a nervous laugh, one she didn't echo. Did he really think she'd had to try not to hurt him? Or did he just think that little of himself? She wasn't sure how to respond. Luckily, he didn't wait for one. "Sorry. Everyone just… I dunno, treats me like I'm made of glass sometimes. I guess I just appreciated that you weren't fighting me like you were afraid I was going to burst out crying if you tapped me too hard."

Blake frowned. She may not be the most social member of team RWBY but being quiet by no means made her unable to read social tells. It was obvious that Jaune was bothered by his teammate's protectiveness, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Blake just wished she weren't the one available to smack some sense into him; Ruby would have gotten through to him with ease. She, on the other hand, didn't exactly have the best track record with dealing with emotional problems.

It was to her great surprise therefore, that the words that came out of her mouth were confident and genuine. "Not everyone starts at the same time, Jaune." She said, "Take it from someone who learned to fight at a _very_ young age, there are things you miss out on that you'd give just about anything to get back."

Jaune stared at her, then his eyes flicked up to her bow and widened in horrified realization. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine." She cut him off with a small smile, more a softening of the eyes than anything else, "You're worried that you're behind the rest of us in terms of training and experience. I won't lie, you are, but that doesn't mean much in the long run. You can learn to fight at any time, but you only get one childhood."

"I… you're right." He said, looking away, ashamed. "I dunno, I guess I just wish I'd spent a little more time training, and a little less goofing off with my sisters."

"Maybe." Blake allowed, "But do you regret spending time with your family?"

"I—Well no, but—"

"Then there you go." Blake overrode him again, "It's not wasted time, you just used it a little differently."

Jaune looked away briefly, his eyes thoughtful, but then he turned back with a soft smile of his own. "Thanks Blake." He said quietly, "I never really thought about it like that."

Blake shrugged, "Most people don't." She said quietly, "Sometimes it takes losing something to realize just how valuable it is." Jaune hummed in agreement and for a moment she felt a flash of concern when she saw worry in his eyes, but she relaxed when he didn't ask the question she was afraid of answering.

"That's true." He mused, "I mean, if you think about it, I think I might be the only one on either of our teams to have a good relationship with their parents. Yang and Ruby lost their mothers; Weiss' dad is, well, you know; Ren and Nora are orphans, and I've never heard Pyrrha talk to or about any family…" He stared off into the distance for a moment, a small frown on his face. "Maybe… maybe you're right. I wouldn't trade my family for the world." He shook his head, refocusing on the moment, and gave her another lopsided smile. "Doesn't mean I can slack off now though, like you said, I've got a lot of catching up to do." There was something in his smile, something pointed that wasn't pity, nor even sympathy. Just a solid conviction that somehow made her feel almost… safe. "I'm not sure I'll ever be as strong as you or Pyrrha, but I'd like to be able to help create a world where no other little kid has to give up their childhood to make the world a better place."

Blake couldn't meet his eyes. "For what it's worth," She whispered, mouth abruptly painfully dry, "I think you will."

"Thanks." Jaune said, looking away awkwardly, even as he was practically glowing. She could tell that he didn't quite believe her, but he was happy to accept her words. "I'm not gonna get there alone though, so…?" He settled back into a fighting stance, giving her a hopeful look.

After all that he'd said, how could she say no?

/*/

Jaune learned fast. Not fast enough to avoid getting knocked around the ring like a pinball, but more than fast enough to start improving his footwork and even throwing out a few attacks of his own by the time they finished. None of them made their mark, but it was massive improvement over his weak attempt at a counter before.

It certainly helped that he had the stamina to keep at it. Blake was fairly certain by the fourth time she'd found herself pinning him to the ground with her sword to his throat that her aura would have cracked from the combined beatdown she put him through.

By the time their sixth match ended, she started to wonder if he actually _had_ unlocked his Semblance and it somehow revolved around masochism.

When his aura finally flickered and sputtered during their eighth, she thought it would be prudent to stop. The irritated look he quickly hid told her that he might not have agreed but she wasn't willing to risk it considering who his partner was. Plus, she was becoming more and more conscious of the fact that she'd forgotten to eat dinner.

As if on cue, her stomach protested her negligence. Blake frowned, students were basically on their own when it came to feeding themselves over the break and she wasn't much of a cook. Oh well, she'd gone hungry before. If she caught an early bullhead tomorrow, she could hit up a place in Vale. Steeling herself for the wait, she turned to with Jaune goodnight only to freeze at the flash of triumph he wiped off his face.

"Hungry?" He asked casually. If Blake knew anything about Jaune Arc, he _never_ did anything casually. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he seemed to pick up on the abrupt tension that filled the air. "I-I mean, of course you'd be!" He stammered, answering his own question, "Doy! We've been running around for almost an hour, ahaha…"

Blake's eyes narrowed further, burning slits of amber that bored into the blonde boy before her. Oh Gods… he wasn't going to try and ask her out, was he?! She knew they'd had a moment, but people could have perfectly _platonic_ moments, come on!

Besides, what would _Pyrrha_ do to her?!

Thankfully, he didn't let her dwell on _that_ particular thought for long. "If, uh, you want to, the rest of my team and I were planning on a late dinner. Nora likes to have pancake parties on the weekends, which apparently every day of break counts as."

Oh, thank the Gods.

"I'm not sure pancakes are… healthy late-night snacks." Blake said diplomatically. She'd never tell team JNPR's bubbly bomber, but she wasn't particularly fond of short stacks. Ruby excluded, of course.

"Well, good." Jaune said drily, "They're not for us, and I'm not keen on trying to take them away from 'her majesty'." Blake blinked, but he answered her question before she had the chance to ask it: "Pyrrha's actually been trying to get me eating healthier, I think this week she wanted me to be eating more fish after workouts. Something about fat acids."

He went on to (incorrectly) try and explain his partner's words on the benefits of _fatty_ acids, but she ignored it in favor of focusing on the only important word he'd uttered. "Fish?!"

Jaune blinked at her, whatever unimportant sentence he'd been working through grinding to a sudden halt, "Uh, yeah? We were gonna meet in the kitchens in about fifteen minutes. Ren offered to cook up some fish in between feeding our resident bottomless pit."

"I'm in." Blake said immediately. Jaune gave her a grin and nodded, turning to lead the way.

He didn't turn fast enough to fully hide the smug smile that crept across his face.

Blake's eyes narrowed again, but this time in thought. Of all the words she'd use to describe JNPR's 'fearless leader', crafty wasn't high on the list. Or really on the list. So why did it feel like he'd pulled one over on her?

Oh well, the promise of fish made it worth the risk. Although if she found herself seated across from him at a candlelit table, all bets were off.

/*/

Fortunately, her fears were unfounded. They'd cleaned up and made their way to the kitchen to find Ren calmly working on his pancake mix, Nora flitting about him like a hummingbird. The gunman didn't seem to mind, patiently preventing his partner from adding random ingredients to the mix with an indulgent smile. He nodded to them as they entered the kitchen, but it was Pyrrha who spoke: "There you are." The Champion said, pushing off the wall and making her way over to them with a wide smile, "How was training?"

"Informative." Jaune said with a laugh and a wince, rolling his shoulders. "It gave me a few ideas though! Just you wait Pyr, I'll make you try yet!"

Pyrrha practically glowed at his use of the nickname, giggling as she gave her leader a nudge with her shoulder. Normally Blake would have wondered how the blonde blunder managed to miss that, but she was a little preoccupied with another thought.

_Didn't he say that was supposed to be a surprise for her?_

Now that she thought about it, team JNPR hadn't even blinked when she'd entered with Jaune. It was almost like they'd expected her.

Odd.

Blakes ears flattened, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as sudden tension spread through her body. Years in The White Fang had taught her to trust her instincts, and her instincts were currently screaming that something was off. Eyes narrowing, Blake opened her mouth to demand an explanation—

"So how would you like your fish?"

—Only to lose her train of thought entirely with the utterance of those beloved words. "Grilled." She replied dreamily, mouth already watering at the thought of what was to come. Jaune and Pyrrha exchanged an amused look at her uncharacteristic behavior, but she paid them no mind. She had fish to eat.

Soon enough, a heavenly smell filled the room. She basked in it, luxuriating in one of her favorite scents as team JNPR laughed and chatted in the background. It was… pleasant. There hadn't been many moments like this when she was a part of The Fang. That wasn't to say that there hadn't been _any_ happy moments, but they were few and far between. Trying to incite change had been their primary goal, and as their methods had grown slowly more violent such celebrations had begun to seem tasteless.

When had she started to become accustomed to the soft feeling of contentment that rose in her breast as she just enjoyed the company of friends?

"It's nice, isn't it?"

Blake looked up as Pyrrha settled down beside her. The redhead girl's eyes flicked to her, then went back to watching her team with a warm expression. Jaune was reasoning with Nora in the background, the hyperactive girl had somehow managed to steal the chocolate chips and was holding them hostage from atop a counter where she was stuffing her face like a chipmunk. The blonde leader reached hesitantly for the bag, recoiling when Nora snapped at him, but the distraction was all Ren needed to sweep up behind and catch the bubbly bomber. Nora squealed, struggling like a Beowolf as Jaune snatched the bag back with the practiced ease of someone far too used to all this madness.

"It is." Blake admitted with a small smile as Ren calmed his partner, appeasing her by sliding the first stack of pancakes in front of her. Nora the Beowolf returned, but this time all the animalistic fervor was aimed squarely at her meal, giving Ren and Jaune time to focus on other more important matters. "Beacon is... different. Before coming her, I never really spent time with people like this. Didn't really have the opportunity."

Pyrrha gave her a small, sad smile, "I know the feeling."

Blake sent her a sideways glance, "Yeah, I guess you would." She said simply, "I gave Yang and the others a ton of trouble, but I'm glad they ended up dragging me out of my shell."

"We both got very lucky with our partners." Pyrrha said, her eyes lingering on Jaune as they had all evening.

A mischievous smile crept across Blake's face, " _I_ got very lucky." She corrected playfully, "From what I've heard, luck had nothing to do with your case."

To her credit, Pyrrha managed to keep her blush to a light sprinkle across her cheeks. Although if the panicked look she shot Jaune's way was anything to go by, it was a closer thing than it seemed. "I, er, don't know what you mean." She said, laughing awkwardly as she started to fan herself, "Wow, that stovetop must not ventilate very well, I should go check on that!"

Blake fought back a giggle as the redhead sped over to where Ren was putting the finishing touches on seasoning the fish. The quiet boy gave her a curious look as she turned up the ventilation but shrugged it off with his usual remarkable tolerance of the bizarre. Glancing over at Pyrrha's clueless damsel, Blake was somewhat relieved to find that he hadn't noticed their exchange. Jaune and Nora had evidently been wrapped up in an argument over the proper amount of time pancakes needed to soak in syrup to achieve maximum flavor; Blake didn't think Jaune would win that argument, but their sparring match had taught her that he was very, _very_ persistent. Vomit boy could take a beating, who knew?

She might have considered telling Yang, but she doubted her partner would believe her or worse: she would. Blake didn't really need to deal with Ruby complaining about her sister breaking her toys any more than she already did.

Such thoughts were driven from her mind entirely when the heavenly scent of fish intensified, and Ren swept a plate of nirvana before her. Blake could only stare, stars dancing in her eyes as a line of drool slipped down her chin. Nora was a lucky girl, the fish smelled unbelievably good and any man that could work magic like that was a keeper.

"Yeah, Ren's a crazy good chef." Jaune said knowingly—Blake wiped her mouth quickly, ears burning in embarrassment—as he settled down beside her with his own plate. He glanced over to where Nora had zipped off to force Ren to make her a second batch of pancakes, then leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "Pretty sure Nora was hoping he'd open a restaurant and pamper her. It's crazy, I mean you've met Nora, but I think being a huntress was her second choice."

Blake glanced down at her plate, its tantalizing fragrance flooding her mouth with anticipation. The opportunity to have food like this every day? She wasn't sure she could blame the girl.

"I doubt that she would have been content with such a life." Pyrrha said, tone amused as she took a seat on Jaune's other side.

"She'd have made a fantastic bouncer for his restaurant though."

Blake blinked, finding what he'd described disturbingly easy to picture. Pyrrha had too apparently, "Fair enough." She conceded with laugh.

"Does your team ever make you cook stuff for them?" Jaune asked, making Blake freeze with her fork halfway between her plate and her mouth, "I figure you're the most experienced."

Amber eyes narrowed as she stared at the blonde boy defensively, "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked suspiciously. Blake knew he was aware of her terrorist past—Ruby didn't really believe in keeping secrets from friends, and after all that Blake had put her team though she couldn't find it in herself to disagree—but that didn't mean she wanted it brought up casually.

Fortunately, she'd forgotten who she was speaking to. "Well, you're the only one on your team who's had to spend a lot of time looking out for themselves." Jaune answered immediately, his eyes and tone utterly sincere. Of course. Coming from anyone else that question might have been a subtle segue towards speaking of her rogue past, but it didn't seem as if the thought had even crossed Jaune's mind. To him it was just an honest question.

"I… have some experience cooking for myself." Blake said cautiously, "I only really had to cook for myself when I was… away."

"Oh, like camping?" Jaune asked.

Blake blinked, was… was he being subtle…? Or was he just seriously missing all the subtext?! She glanced at Pyrrha and shuddered; With Jaune it was disturbingly possible. "Sure." She chose to answer diplomatically. _Need to stop jumping the gun…_

Jaune grinned devilishly, "Oh Nora~" He sang, "We've got a fellow camper here~"

Blake let out an alarmed squeak as team JNPR's resident lightning bolt seemed to defy all known laws of physics to materialize directly beside her without crossing the space in between. "You camped Blakey?!" She trilled at a pitch that made the raven-haired girl's sensitive Faunus ears flatten in discomfort, "That's so cray-cray! Renny and I used to camp all the time on the road; since, well you know, we've been together since forever. Oh, but not—"

"But not together-together, we know." Jaune interrupted, sounding amused, "Don't stall, ask her the thing, Nora."

The thing? Well that didn't sound ominous or anything. Blake gave Pyrrha a worried look, but the other girl just rolled her eyes.

"Blake." Nora said, her voice uncharacteristically grave, "What's the better option, sleeping in your tent… or outside?"

Blake blinked, "Uh… what?" She dared to ask. Jaune's eyes glinted with determination as he opened his mouth to speak, only for them to widen in horror as Nora tackled him to the floor.

"NO!" The girl howled, "No poisoning her answer you tent-loving _freak_!" Said tent-loving freak wheezed out a breath that might have once been words but was cut off abruptly when Nora slapped her hands over his mouth. Blake, who'd been poised to flee ever since Nora had teleported in front of her, twitched violently as the girl's lightning-blue eyes locked onto her. "Don't worry about a thing Blakey." The human sugar-high said in what had to be the least believable tone ever used in Blake's presence, "There's no right or wrong answer here, just tell Momma how you like to sleep out in the wild."

Blake glanced between Nora, who was giving her a grin that was more than a little predatory, and the struggling blonde trapped beneath her. "I, uh, didn't really have the space to carry around a tent anyway." She said hesitantly. _Sorry Jaune._

"Ha! Ahahahaha-HA!" Nora crowed, shoving a victorious finger into (literally, since she missed due to the boy's struggling) Jaune's nose. "Somebody owes me fifty Len~"

"She just said she never got to try one! Outside circumstances!" Jaune spluttered indignantly, trying—and failing—to leverage the smaller girl off him.

"Nope! Still counts!" Nora cackled, leaping off her leader to zoom over and catch Blake around the shoulder before the startled Faunus could escape. "Oh, I'm so excited! We need to go camping together Blakey! Ren can fry you some more fish on the fire, and the filthy _tent-lover_ can sleep all alone like he ought to!"

"It's more comfortable!" Jaune howled from the ground, "No bugs, no extra light, and if it rains or the wind picks up, you're perfectly prepared!"

"He always puts up the rain tarp, even when it's supposed to be clear." Nora whispered, sniffing disdainfully.

"It never hurts to be prepared! my dad always says—"

"A little rain never killed anyone!" Nora declared triumphantly.

"Actually Nora, hypothermia and the like have brought an untimely end to many adventurers." Ren pointed out calmly, setting out food for the rest of team JNPR, not even batting an eye at his leader's distress.

"Mind over matter!" Nora bellowed before whipping around to face Blake again, expression manic. "It'll be great Blakey, just you wait!"

Blake swallowed fearfully, then glanced down at her untouched plate and hardened her resolve, "Can I eat this first?" She asked hesitantly. The girl _had_ offered her more of Ren's cooking…

Nora seemed to snap back to the present, looking down at Blake's plate like she'd never seen a plate full of food before, "You haven't finished Renny's cooking?" She shook her head, "We can't have that, stop distracting her Jaune!"

"I—" Jaune started, only to cut off with a choke as Nora quite literally threw him over her shoulder and flounced off, ignoring his protests.

"Nora." Ren sighed, picking up Jaune's plate and putting it in the microwave in anticipation of his return.

Glancing nervously at the door the bubbly bomber had dragged her leader out of, Blake took the opportunity to spear her first bite of the fish. She had to repress a groan of pure pleasure as the heady flavor danced across her tongue, a blend of herbs, spices, and pure fishy goodness nearly overwhelming her taste buds. She didn't really remember any individual bite she took, but the meal was gone far sooner than she would have liked and soon she was staring morosely down at an empty plate.

When Ren slid another plate in front of her, she nearly kissed him. It was only the inexplicable sensation of eyes on the back of her head—despite her being seated with her back to the wall—that allowed her to keep her composure. Still, she wouldn't allow this gift to go unappreciated. "Thank you." She said quietly, eyes drifting from Pyrrha to Ren as she offered the two of them a rare full smile, "I appreciate this, let me know if there's anything I can do to return the favor."

"Friends look out for each other." Ren said, waving her thanks off as he focused on taking delicate bites from his own plate.

Blake frowned. She'd heard that sort of sentiment before, she'd _believed_ in that kind of sentiment before. Then she'd abandoned her partner, fleeing from the monster he'd become rather than fighting to save him. Unbidden, her mind drifted to her own team who'd stayed by her side even after she'd attempted to abandon them too. She'd been so convinced that they'd be unable to see past her past that she'd run without even waiting to see their reaction, without even giving them the opportunity to prove themselves to her.

Had she done the same with Adam? Could she have saved him if she'd just tried a little harder?

Blake shook herself, what was done was done. She had regrets but joining Beacon and meeting her team would never be one of them. Even if she could have saved Adam, she'd already made her choice. But… but perhaps she could still learn from that. Perhaps she could work on being a better friend now. "Tell me anyway." She insisted, "You've done some looking out for me; I'd like to have the same opportunity."

The look Ren gave her was surprised, but when he saw the determination in her eyes his expression softened, and he just gave her a nod. Blake felt a slight smile creep across her face, one she quickly buried in another forkful of pure bliss.

Time passed, and Blake spent every second of it savoring the flavor of Ren's cooking. It was only when she'd emerged from the narrow world that consisted of her plate of heaven and the fork that delivered it to her mouth that she realized that neither Jaune nor his captor had returned. The fact was evidently not lost on the remainder of team JNPR and going by Pyrrha's frequent nervous looks towards the door it had been on her mind for a while. She stood up—Blake couldn't help but notice that she hadn't touched her plate of food—and gave Ren a pleading look. The boy sighed but gave his teammate a nod and left the room.

Blake blinked, what was that about?

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said, "But would you be willing to help me with the dishes?"

Blake gave the redheaded girl's plate a longing look, but her stomach was full, so she just nodded and carried the other leftover dishes to the large sink by the wall. "You're not going to go check on him?" She found herself asking as she ran the water.

Pyrrha twitched, giving the door a guilty look, "Ren is better at this kind of thing." She said evasively.

Blake raised an eyebrow, "I imagine so," She said tersely, although she hoped the slight quirk to her lips took any bite from her words, "Kind of missing your chance to play knight in shining armor though." Pyrrha's cheeks took on a slight pinkish hue, and she steadfastly refused to meet Blake's eyes as she cleaned a portion of a nearby counter and dug out a cloth to dry the dishes with. As the silence dragged on Blake felt her ears droop. Guilt slithered its way through her stomach, and as she shut off the water and readied the first plate she spoke softly: "Sorry, I didn't mean to push. Not used to this kind of thing, and Yang is pretty much the only example I have to follow."

Pyrrha let out a startled laugh, before hiding her giggles behind a hand. "I-I'm sorry," She gasped, "That just made a little too much sense." Blake rolled her eyes, but she was relieved to see that she hadn't messed up whatever they had. She didn't say anything more for a few moments, content to listen to the redhead's soft giggles as she regained control, so it was a surprise when Pyrrha broke the silence first. "It's not… _entirely_ what you're thinking." Amber eyes flicked to The Champion, an unasked question that the redhead had little difficulty reading, "Jaune and Ren are better at, um, handling Nora than I am when she gets into one of her moods."

Blake raised a delicate eyebrow, "Huh. Figured it'd just be Ren."

Pyrrha smiled in the way she only seemed to when she could share something about her leader: proud and adoring in a way that made her heart ache. She _refused_ to get involved, but _seriously_. That boy had better figure out what was in front of him or she'd sick Yang on him. "He's actually able to handle her pretty well. Jaune's probably the only other person outside of Ren that could get her to stop once she has something in her head."

Blake shot a pointed look towards the doorway, "Really." She said flatly.

To her surprise, Pyrrha just laughed. "He and Ren indulge her, it's generally harmless." The girl glanced towards the door, and Blake could practically _feel_ the longing and… and love that her gaze held. Unbidden, her thoughts flashed towards a scarred face, a wilting flower, she could only hope Pyrrha's love would work out differently. No one deserved to lose their loved ones, especially not to themselves. Adam had become so wrapped up in the role he thought he had to play in changing the world, in destiny, that he'd pushed her away and allowed it to consume him. She could only pray that Pyrrha would never have to live with the same heartbreak. "I asked him about it once, and he said he picked up a few tricks from living with his seven sisters."

Blake dropped the plate she'd been washing, letting out a startled hiss as she splashed soapy water across her top, "Seven?!"

Pyrrha laughed again, high pitched and delighted, "Seven." She confirmed. "He said it was a dog-eat-dog world, and when you were the runt of the litter, you did what you had to do to survive."

Blake worked in silence for a few moments, mulling over _that_ particular piece of information. Suddenly a lot of Jaune's personality made a little more sense. "Wait, so why were you embarrassed?" She finally settled on asking.

Pyrrha flushed again, dropping the knife she'd been drying only to catch it with her Semblance. "I—Um."

"Do you not indulge her?" Blake found herself staring at The Champion, slack jawed, she could have sworn that JNPR was a perfectly oiled machine! Could the team's two girls not get along?

Pyrrha's blush crept further up her neck, and she polished the remaining silverware with a fiery intensity that matched the red spreading across her cheeks. " _Imaybedotoomuch._ " She finally said in a rush, catching Blake off guard.

"I'm sorry, what?" The Faunus said, swiveling her ears to make sure she didn't miss Pyrrha's words again.

"I don't think they trust me to keep an eye on her." Pyrrha said miserably, "Apparently I can be a bit of a pushover."

Blake stared, uncomprehending. The Invincible Girl couldn't handle peer pressure?! The idea was so laughably strange that for a moment she was certain the redhead was pulling her leg. Then… the image of Pyrrha fleeing the Deathstalker flashed before eyes. She hadn't exactly been told the specifics, but she seemed to remember Ruby laughing about how the girl had only run into the creature because she couldn't bring herself to speak up against some hare-brained scheme of her partner.

Oh Brothers… She really was a pushover, wasn't she?

"I'm sure it's not _that_ bad…" She said uncertainly, trying to offer some words of comfort at least.

Pyrrha flinched, her flush growing as she refused to meet Blake's eyes as she busied herself with putting away the last of the plates. "I—um… there might have been an… incident before… one where I _maybe_ told the others I could handle Nora, but I might have… let things get a little out of control?"

Blake gave her a concerned look, "How out of control are we talking?"

"We might have burned down a bakery." Pyrrha confessed in a rush.

"What?!" Blake shrieked.

"No-no! It's alright, it was a front for—well that doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is that the fire might have gotten a _little_ out of control… So Nora had this idea to smash a nearby fire hydrant, and I _knew_ I could have just used my Semblance, but I didn't want to ruin her fun and, and, and—" She lowered her head in shame, the words coming out in a rush, "We may have done a lot of damage to the block by the time we got the fire put out."

Blake stared, the desperation with which Pyrrha got the story off her chest seemed to imply that she'd been sitting on the tale for a while, which only made sense if… details clicked. "That was you?!" She gasped, "Miss Goodwitch was _furious_ when she couldn't figure out who did that!"

"I know!" Pyrrha wailed, "But what was I supposed to do?! I was _going_ to come clean, but then Jaune pointed out that if Nora got expelled Ren would leave too and they'd probably find out about his transcripts if they looked into our team!"

Blake let out a low whistle, somewhat impressed despite herself, "Didn't know he had it in him to be that manipulative."

"He… he can be full of surprises." Pyrrha muttered, blushing again. Blake raised a brow at the odd reaction, only to go pale when she realized that the redhead looked almost excited by the memory. Oh Gods, she did _not_ need to learn _another_ friend's kinks. Yang's were already too much. Her partner really needed to be less open about things…

Speaking of blondes, the man at the center of their conversation staggered into the kitchen with Ren in tow. They were in the middle of some conversation about bird nests or something, and Blake wouldn't have normally put much thought into it if it hadn't been for the little twigs he was thoughtlessly pulling out of his hair. "Oh my." Pyrrha said succinctly.

Jaune blinked, apparently only just realizing that he and Ren weren't alone. "Oh, hey! Is there any food left?"

"We saved your plate, Jaune." Ren said, gesturing to the microwave.

"Thanks." Jaune said, settling down at the table before frowning at Pyrrha's untouched plate. "This yours, Ren?" He asked, sounding contrite, "Sorry man, didn't mean to make you come get me and miss out on hot food."

Ren gave Pyrrha a look, and the redhead coughed delicately. "No, that's—er—mine." She said in a brave attempt to sound casual.

Jaune frowned, "Pyr, you better not be trying to skip meals or something, you're beautiful the way you are."

Pyrrha choked.

"Thanks for the invite." Blake said, deciding it'd be best to step in before The Invincible Girl asphyxiated from any further compliments. Gods, this boy was dense.

"Don't mention it." Jaune said, still giving Pyrrha a concerned look, "It's the least I could do for putting up with me."

"Heh, when you put it like that it was _almost_ worth it."

Jaune shifted to blink at her and for a moment she wondered if her humor would sail right over his oblivious blonde head, then he gave her a shy smile. "Yeah, that's fair." He said sheepishly.

Blake snorted quietly but gave him a nod before turning to Ren. "Thank you, it was delicious." She said honestly.

Ren gave her a small, satisfied smile, "Seeing someone enjoy my work is reward enough." He said contentedly.

Blake shifted uncomfortably, her thanks not feeling adequate, the man had a gift! She could just see team JNPR opening a café or restaurant or something. Ren would cook, Pyrrha would use her Semblance to deliver dishes, Nora would be the mascot and Jaune could be the waiter or busboy or something. Then again, if today had taught her anything it was that she underestimated him too much. Maybe he'd be the manager. "Just remember what I said about returning the favor." She said uncertainly.

Something like satisfaction flashed through Jaune's eyes. "Heh, bet it'll be hard to go back to making your own food after this." He said proudly.

It would. Blake hadn't been starving herself per se, but she certainly hadn't been eager to take the time to make her way to the kitchen and cook for herself; Without her team there it was all too easy to make the decision to skip a meal here and there in order to pursue other activities. It was easy to grow apathetic when the days seemed to stretch together.

Jaune scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, clearly picking up something from her demeanor. "Hey," He started, laughing awkwardly, "You mentioned helping us, or maybe just Ren out, earlier right?" Blake nodded, her eyes narrowing in a silent question. "Well, it just so happens that we've got a few things to do in Vale later this week and we wouldn't mind having an extra hand along. Little errands I mean, nothing major." He shrugged, giving her a hopeful smile, "Plus, I wouldn't mind a few more rounds, and I doubt Ren would say no to practicing with someone that fights a little like him; He could use a match with a sparring partner that won't glomp him."

"Like fighting a spider monkey." Ren confirmed with a solemn nod.

Blake hesitated. It wasn't that she was opposed to spending time with them, she just wasn't sure if she wanted to commit. Team JNPR were great, she knew that, but a part of her was still stuck in her old ways: It was harder to get hurt if you didn't allow yourself to get close to someone in the first place.

"Oh! I forgot to mention that we'll cook for you."

Well. Shit.

Blake nodded, "Sure." Who knew? Maybe it was a trap, a delicious, nutritious trap. She'd still walk in willingly if it meant more of what she'd gotten today.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, hope you're all staying happy and healthy! Remember when I thought this would be a 10 page short? Good times, good times.  
> As always, thank you all so much for reading/commenting on the last chapter. I truly can't express what it means to me to know that my work is being seen, especially when I get to hear your thoughts and reactions. I never thought I was the type of person to blush furiously at a message from someone on the internet basically saying 'good job', so thanks for that little discovery you beautiful monsters.
> 
> My plan moving forward is to finally get chapter 2 of Duramen out the door, but I also have this goofy Ozpin-centered story I've had bouncing around my head for a while. Maybe that'll have to be my next 'short' story.
> 
> Seriously though, thank you all for your kind words and support. Till next time!  
> -Amaratsu

Over the course of the following days Blake fell into a comfortable routine with the members of team JNPR. She was relieved to find that they didn't convene for breakfast first thing in the morning; Each went about their own business, be it training or sleeping in, until they met in the kitchens around ten. From that point on they usually spent the rest of the day together or in varying pairs, although to her amusement, Pyrrha and Nora were always questioned sternly by their leader and an amused Ren when they chose to go off together.

It was… comfortable. Again, when had that become so strange to her? JNPR never imposed on her or asked for anything in return for their kindness, often inviting her along for whatever they had planned but never pushing hard for it. They gave her the space she felt comfortable with, and while she still spent a lot of her time quietly reading, she was surprised to find that it wasn't necessarily always alone.

It surprised her more that she didn't mind. She'd thought that she'd only accepted team RWBY in that way. When had she grown used to having familiar voices and presences around her when she wrapped herself in her favorite stories?

When had her books stopped feeling like her escape?

Jaune dropped by a few times to ask for a spar, and she found herself grudgingly impressed by the speed at which he learned and improved. The blonde noodle still had a long way to go, but beneath his awkward laugh and goofy attitude was a sharp mind that soaked up what she provided like a seedling.

She was still testing the sadomasochism Semblance theory, though.

As the days slipped past, Blake almost managed to let go of the niggling paranoia that wriggled somewhere in the back of her mind… but she couldn't quite shake the suspicion, especially since team JNPR always seemed to know where she was. When Jaune managed to find her in the weight room, a place she very purposefully preferred to visit during off hours to avoid annoyances (Cardin), she'd stared at him for nearly a full minute. When Pyrrha hunted her down to ask if she still wanted dinner after she'd gotten too wrapped up in one of her stories in that out-of-the-way shady spot near the courtyard, she'd checked Gambol Shroud for trackers. Even Nora had found her, eagerly asking if she wanted to go a few rounds. Of course, she'd asked right after Blake had been practicing with Ren so there could have been an outside factor at play there. The look on the girl's face when she'd come in to see Ren and Blake sweaty and red-faced in the ring had been enough to warn her against any matches with the hammer-wielder; She liked her legs in the number of pieces they were in currently, thank you very much.

Nora had pouted of course, but she'd quickly rallied, running over to demand Ren let 'Nurse Nora' have a look at him. She wasn't really sure why Ren had gone bone white at that comment and declared that he'd go run some laps, but she also _really_ wasn't going to question her good luck at avoiding the girl's wrath.

Blake was used to being alone, she didn't need other people. So why was it that the emptiness she'd refused to acknowledge ever since her team had left felt just a little more manageable? Perhaps that was how she'd gotten into her current predicament; She'd let down her guard, allowed herself to grow inattentive when that crushing hollow had receded and lost her grip on common sense.

There was no other explanation for why she'd agreed to accompany Nora of all people when the girl invited her to watch an eating competition.

It was nearly the last day of break and the entirety of team JNPR plus Blake had piled into a bullhead around midday, Nora chattering happily into Blake's ears from the seat beside her. Normally, Blake wouldn't have been excited about the seat placement, but she'd been surprised to find that the girl's bubbly nature had grown on her over the past week. Nora reminded her a bit of her own partner, both girls had a fiery personality and weren't turned off by how she struggled to carry on a conversation; Another similarity was that she would _never_ spar with either of them if she could get away with it. Moderation wasn't a part of either of their vocabularies.

"Pyrrha…" Jaune groaned from the back of the bullhead (a strategic decision, no doubt), "You—urp—you brought the umbrella, right?"

"Right here Jaune." Pyrrha said soothingly, giving her partner a sympathetic look.

"Uh, you sure there's nothing we can't do to—"

"No!" The other three members of team JNPR shouted, clearly alarmed. Blake blinked as Pyrrha turned a strained smile on her, "It's best if you just give him space and let him sort through it himself." She said apologetically, eyeing the clear six feet of space between their seats and their leader's.

Jaune moaned something that sounded vaguely like 'I'll be fine' from where he sat with his head between his knees, taking steadying breaths.

"We're almost there, Jaune." Ren said soothingly. The blonde gave him a shaky thumbs up, before clapping his hand over his mouth with a muted groan as they hit a patch of turbulence.

"Thanks for coming along, Fearless Leader." Nora said, sounding almost guilty.

"No problem, Nora." Jaune said weakly, raising a fist, "Team JNPR represent."

Blake looked between them curiously, "It almost sounds like someone's competing."

Pyrrha blinked, turning away from where she'd been anxiously watching over Jaune with a shocked expression, "Nora didn't tell you when she asked you along?"

"Uh, no?"

"We're gonna get a huuuuuge trophy!" Nora crowed, "They won't know what hit them!" Blake was pretty sure she knew what the girl meant, but she still checked to make sure Nora didn't actually have her hammer on her person.

"She's been looking forward to this for weeks." Ren explained with an indulgent quirk to his lips.

"I've put too much effort into this to not get results!" Nora cried with a manic grin, slamming a fist into her palm hard enough that the crack resonated off the walls of their transport.

"Coming in for a landing. Welcome to Vale kids, try not to break anything." The pilot's voice crackled over the intercom, dry and amused.

"Oh, thank the gods!" Jaune gasped, clearly eager to escape the confines of the bullhead. Blake was privately just as eager to not be locked in a room with the motion-sick leader of team JNPR, not after she'd discovered the origins of Yang's nickname for him.

The transport had barely touched down before Jaune shot out the hatch. Blake and the rest (except Nora, who somehow managed to be waiting for them outside despite Blake not seeing her leave) took their time disembarking. Pyrrha carefully maneuvered the large beach umbrella Jaune had been referring to out into the sunlight, while Ren hoisted a drink cooler over one shoulder to keep it out of Nora's reach. Apparently Jaune was big on preparation, and it had been at his insistence that they'd left Beacon a few hours early to snag prime seating for the event with a few amenities to make the wait more bearable.

Speaking of Jaune, the blonde staggered back to them from where he'd been perched over a trashcan (just in case) with a miserable expression. At least his color seemed to be improving. "Hope the wind dies down a bit before we get there," he said, eyeing the umbrella with some concern, "When I checked the weather it said it should be clear, but it'll be miserable under the sun without that."

"It'll be fine, Jaune." Ren said immediately in what was clearly a conditioned response, "It's usually windier up where the bullheads fly, and the buildings will shield us."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Jaune said, brightening, "In that case let me take the cooler, that way you can take care of tickets and registration while Nora and I handle seats."

Blake balked at the downright sinister grin that passed over Nora's face, and was more than a little unsettled to see it mirrored on Jaune's. Pyrrha just sighed, but she looked more amused than frustrated as she gestured to Blake to follow them.

Their destination wasn't a long walk from the landing pads, something she was certain team JNPR was grateful for as they set their burdens down beside a tree just to the side of the outdoor seating area. Nora practically vibrated with excitement, and Blake only had to look as far as the banner flying above the stage to figure out why. Apparently, they were at a pancake eating contest, in hindsight it was the only thing that really made sense.

Pyrrha must have noticed the direction of her gaze, because she gave Blake a knowing smile, "I'm surprised you didn't hear about this earlier, it's been all she's been talking about for weeks."

"It does seem rather tailor-fit to her." Blake said with a soft huff of laughter, watching as Jaune and Nora waded into the crowd of workers setting up the event to claim seats, "It's nice of you all to indulge her like this."

Pyrrha shrugged with a soft smile, "I've never had friends to get me out doing this kind of thing before, so I'd say it's just as much them indulging me."

Blake gave her an appraising look but didn't say anything for a time. Workers bustled about around them, setting out more seats and preparing stands to hold food and refreshments. "Is it always like this on your team?" She eventually asked, her eyes locked firmly on the crowd.

She felt more than saw Pyrrha's confused look, "Like what?"

Blake shrugged, "Team RWBY's close, the closest I've had to a real family in a long time, but I'd still say we're more friends than anything else. I guess your team just feels a little different, I can't imagine you ever going your separate ways no matter what happens."

Red hair bobbed in the corner of her eye, and she turned to watch Pyrrha fiddle with a bottle of water from their cooler. "I… I suppose we are quite inseparable." She said, her voice quiet, "I've never had people like them in my life before, and it's true that I can't imagine living without them; They're each so very precious to me."

Blake blinked, somewhat taken aback by the raw emotion in The Invincible Girl's voice, "I—"

"It's funny." Pyrrha interrupted, "I aimed to become a huntress because I thought it was my duty—my destiny—to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, but those people were always nameless and faceless." She gave Blake a tired smile, "Ironic, isn't it? That I'd be given my reason to be a huntress, my reason to fight, at the very academy I attended after I'd given up on finding my own purpose."

Blake looked out over the crowd, not knowing how to respond. Then she found herself nodding. "I think… I think I actually understand." She said quietly, reaching up to touch the bow that hid her Faunus heritage from the rest of the world, "When I came to Beacon, it was sort of like… like a penance. I thought that if I lived my life working to make the world a better place it would… make up for everything else, I guess. Never thought I'd meet people like my team here; I guess I just expected to… to keep being alone." Her thoughts drifted again to Adam. A part of her privately felt that if that had come to pass, she would have deserved it.

"I did as well." Pyrrha affirmed quietly, "I was afraid I wouldn't ever manage to break past the pedestal others put me on. I gave up on trying to be anything different. I thought it was my fate."

Blake frowned, eyeing the redhead with concern, "But you didn't…" She reminded her gently.

The muscles in Pyrrha's jaw relaxed and she gave Blake a grateful, if tired, smile. "No. I did not." She echoed, "But it terrifies me how close I might have come." She looked out into the crowd again, and Blake could see the pain in her eyes, "You said that our team is like a family, and I agree, but I had little to do with it becoming that way. Ren and Nora are incredible, but they're also used to doing their own thing and I think they just expect to be ignored. I can imagine all too easily how we could have remained little more than distant teammates. It's just one of the reasons I'm so grateful for—"

She cut herself off, but Blake had little trouble filling in the gaps, "So that's why you care for him."

Pyrrha sighed, a slight flush dusting her features, but to Blake's surprise she shook her head determinedly. "It's not." She said, "I'm certain that it helped, but there's no single reason. There's a lot more to him than people see at first glance." She gave Blake a look, equal parts tired an amused, "You'll forgive me if I don't specify, I'm having trouble enough without any competition."

Blake snorted, "As if."

The Champion gave her a long look, "You'd be surprised." She whispered with a little smile.

Blake rolled her eyes. She had doubts about Pyrrha's taste in men, but it was beyond question that the blonde leader had captured The Invincible Girl's heart where many had failed. Who knew? Still… as she looked out over the crowd, Blake felt a strange resonance with the girl beside her. "I suppose we both found something to fight for here."

"We did." Pyrrha agreed, her eyes soft and loving as she picked out her team's approaching figures. "I'd gladly give my life if it were for a world where they could be safe and happy. A world where Nora can be silly, and Ren can smile, and Jaune… and—and Jaune can keep us all together."

Blake gave the redhead a look, "Why not together with you?"

Pyrrha smiled, but it didn't disguise the naked longing and pain that swam through her eyes, "I don't want to be selfish. Come on, we should go meet them."

Blake opened her mouth to protest, but Pyrrha was already on her feet and moving away. Still, she didn't move fast enough for Blake to miss her last words. She spoke them in a whisper, far quieter than any normal person could have heard, but not quiet enough to escape her Faunus hearing.

"More than anything in this world, or any other…"

…

Dammit, didn't she say she wasn't going to get involved?!

Blake rushed past Pyrrha, who let out a startled hiss, to grab Nora by the arm. "Nora and I are going to go check out an arcade while you two hold the spot!" She declared, smiling with all teeth as she fixed Pyrrha with a look that was just a _smidge_ short of threatening, "Make sure you two have fun here… _just the two of you_."

Thank the brothers Yang wasn't here. She'd be so proud it'd be insufferable.

"Wha—" Nora started to say as she was dragged away (Likely a new thing for the excitable girl).

"It's for Pyrrha." Blake hissed at her, and to her shock understanding bloomed in the girl's eyes.

"Bye Jauney! Tell Ren to come find me as soon as he gets back, or I'll stop for expresso on the way back, you and Pyrrha can hold the seats _together_!"

"Wait, Nora!" Jaune cried out as they beat a hasty retreat, "You can't just volunteer Pyrrha to hold the seats! You're the one who wanted to—"

"Nope!" Nora chirped, and Blake was reminded forcibly of her own leader.

"Pyrrha, you can go with them if you want." Jaune insisted, bringing the receding two up short.

"I-I—" Pyrrha started, only to cut off when Blake fixed her with a furious stare. _Stay_ she mouthed, flicking her eyes from the redhead to her leader fiercely. Pyrrha bit her lip anxiously and brother's dammit, why did she have to be so indecisive and reserved when the object of her affections was so oblivious!? Blake was beginning to see why the two were dancing around each other, they were both idiots! She would have never done this sort of thing before coming to Beacon, before meeting her team; before meeting her partner.

What was it about Beacon that was doing this to her!?

Ugh, now she sounded like Weiss.

"Keep Pyrrha entertained, Fearless Leader." Nora said seriously, catching everyone's attention, "If you don't… I'm dead serious about the expresso shots. I'll wait until bedtime too."

Jaune and Pyrrha both went a matching ashen hue, "Nora, please no." The blonde leader whispered, sounding so horrified Blake was a little curious despite herself.

"Then don't let me down." Nora said with a saccharine smile, and Jaune nodded desperately.

"Arcs' word." He swore, sounding somewhat desperate.

"I think I saw a shaved ice stand being set up over there." Blake mentioned helpfully, pointing vaguely off in the direction of more workers, "It'd be a good place to start."

"Got it." Jaune said, his face (still white) hardening with determination.

"Wait, Jaune, you don't have to—" Pyrrha tried to start, her own face flushing as he grabbed her arm and practically dragged her off in the indicated direction. To Blake's amusement, the boy's touch was all it took for Pyrrha to become tongue-tied and the words fizzled in The Champion's mouth.

She and Nora waited until the pair were out of sight, then Blake let out an explosive sigh. "I really didn't want to wade into that." The Faunus girl muttered morosely.

A flash of orange and pink was all the warning she got, then Nora's arms were around her neck.

It probably said something about how she viewed the girl that Blake's first thought was that it was going to be her last.

"Oh Blakey, thank you, thank you, _thank you!_ " Nora squealed, shaking Blake by the scruff her neck like a kitte—Nope. She wasn't going there, dammit Yang!

"Can't breathe!" Blake managed to gasp, and to her shock Nora pulled back.

"Thank you." Team JNPR's lightning bolt breathed, looking nearly on the verge of tears.

"I—You knew?" Blake gasped, looking at Nora with shocked eyes. Okay, it was probably more than a little rude, but she had just kind of assumed Nora didn't pay that close attention to her teammates. She was learning all sorts of things about team JNPR this week, and a little about herself. She had to stop making assumptions about others.

"Of course I knew, silly." Nora admonished her, giving Blake a playful punch to the shoulder that drove the Faunus to a knee with a startled wheeze. "You think after all these years I've spent dancing around Renny, I wouldn't recognize another girl in the same situation?"

Blake's mouth fell open. Sure, she hadn't exactly been oblivious to Nora's preoccupation with her partner, but it was very _weird_ to hear the girl just come out and say it like that. She'd pretty much written Nora off in her head as having the heart of a little girl; A little girl with a crush at best, and a creepy stalkerish obsession at worst.

She was staring, she knew she was, but Nora just rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Blakey," She admonished the Faunus girl, "I know I can be a bit of a tomboy, but I'm still a girl."

Yeah, sure, that was the reason Blake was shocked. "R-right," Blake forced a shaky laugh, "Right, sorry."

"It's fine." Nora chirped with a cheerful shrug, "Now, onwards to adventure!"

The Blake of just a month ago would have been deeply concerned with the thought of being dragged alone to an arcade with Nora, and while she was still worried, the current Blake found herself giving the excitable girl an indulgent smile as she was hauled off in a random direction. Of course, she was careful to make sure it went unnoticed.

/*/

Going to an arcade with Nora was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Thrilling, because Nora had an uncanny knack for winning that seemed to go beyond even her Beacon training, and terrifying because Blake was utterly convinced that they were always mere seconds from being escorted out by security. As it stood, she wasn't entirely sure that the old man manning the ticket booth wouldn't be the first to snap. The look on the man's weathered face when Nora gave him a toothy smile over a veritable mountain of tickets she'd earned from her one-woman massacre of the whack-a-Grimm machine made Blake wish they'd brought their weapons along.

Still, it was… fun. Blake wasn't exactly a social butterfly, and it wasn't as if her time in The White Fang had provided many opportunities to just be kids at an arcade, but she found that she enjoyed it much more than she'd anticipated. It probably helped that Nora was more than capable of keeping a conversation going by herself, but it wasn't as if Blake was ignoring her; You didn't ignore Nora because it was _impossible_ to ignore Nora. The orange-haired spitfire surprised Blake by being shockingly receptive to her tells, more than capable of correctly guessing her emotions and reactions from what little she expressed. It puzzled her until she remembered that Nora was Ren's best friend (for now) and partner, of _course_ she'd be used to reading people who were notoriously inexpressive.

Blake had underestimated her, a trend that she really needed to put a stop to. She had the feeling that not even her own team could have gotten her as involved in the arcade as Nora did. Ruby would have given her the puppy-dog eyes and guilted her into a few games, Weiss would have kept her company until she was goaded into some sort of ridiculous competition by her partner, and Yang's methods of persuasion usually started and ended with violence. Nora though? Nora was a force of nature; Blake could have sworn her semblance was time dilation because she swore she had no idea when or how she started playing half of the games she found herself neck-deep in with the girl.

"On your left, Blakey!" Nora cried out, and Blake let out a startled hiss as she spun in place and fired at another Beowolf that had managed to sneak up on them. The little controller in her hand lacked the reassuring weight of Gambol Shroud, but the simulated kick it gave was still satisfying as the Grimm onscreen died in a burst of gunfire and ash.

"You're letting them by you on purpose." Blake accused, reaching up to readjust the VR headset so that the overhead strap wasn't digging into her ears through her bow.

"Lies and slander!" Nora gasped theatrically, her avatar trying—and failing—to balance a can on its head.

Blake rolled her eyes and knocked the can away with a well-placed shot, ignoring Nora's lamentations with a grin as she navigated to the next area. Nora, she reflected, was shockingly sneaky. She'd only just figured out that the other girl was purposefully luring her into ambushes to keep her engaged in the game, a trend that Blake quickly determined she had been following over the entirety of their time at the arcade. It was disturbingly subtle; Nora would switch games just when Blake was losing interest, hiding her actions in her usual hyperactivity, and even going so far as to throw the occasional match and purposefully select games she figured Blake would be good at to keep her entertained.

Nora wasn't Ren's partner for nothing, evidently. Brothers, Blake pitied that man when Nora finally got through to him, she had him dead to rights.

As if summoned by the thought, Ren's voice broke through the adrenaline rush of fighting through another wave of Beowolves and nearly cost Blake a life. Nora, on the other hand, had no such compunctions about abandoning her character and Blake quickly found herself overwhelmed as she fought a horde meant for two on her own.

Scowling at the game-over screen flashing before her, she took the headset off with a huff to find her supposed 'partner' chattering excitedly as she filled Ren in on what seemed to be every action they'd taken in his absence. Ren bore her tale with his usual brand of amused patience, but spared Blake an apologetic shrug when he spotted the flashing screen asking if she'd like to insert Lien to continue. Seeing how close they'd been to a high score Blake could only sigh, but she gave him a small smile to show that there were no hard feelings.

"Competition's starting soon." Ren said when Nora paused for breath.

Blake blinked, pulling out her scroll to check the time only to find that she had indeed been playing with Nora far longer than she'd thought. Nora had the same realization if the excited squeal she let out was anything to go by, and Blake half expected the girl to drag both her and Ren out of the building. Nora surprised her, however. "Meet us there, Renny!" She commanded.

Ren looked as surprised as Blake felt, but he'd only managed to get out a questioning "Wha—" Before Nora had dashed out of sight. He looked between Blake and where Nora had vanished with a perplexed expression, then shrugged. "Guess I'll meet you two there," He said, clearly amused, "Good luck."

"Wait—" Blake tried, but he was already gone. "Figures." She grumbled, but there was no real heat to it.

Leaning up against a nearby arcade cabinet, she checked her scroll for any notifications and found herself smiling when she saw she had a message from Weiss. Happy to see a message from a Schnee? She almost laughed when she imagined what the looks on her former comrades faces might have been to hear that. Weiss had been much quieter than her other two teammates over the course of the break (a word she usually _did not_ apply to the girl), but the heiress had stayed in contact as much as she could while no doubt devoting much of her time to spending time with the only member of her family she got along with.

Blake smiled fondly as she read over the message, amused by the overly formal wording and abundance of multi-syllabic words that would have made Ruby's head spin. It was as short as any message from Weiss could be expected to be, a simple summary of some of the activities she'd gotten up to since they'd last spoken, but Blake had learned to read between the lines. The prickly girl never came out and expressed as much, but Blake could sense the hidden question: 'Are you doing alright by yourself?'

Blake typed up a short answer (she'd never been the best at texting, another similarity between the two of them) informing Weiss that she'd been spending time with team JNPR, and not to worry and miss out on time with her sister. The expected response that she 'wasn't worried' came a moment later, and Blake huffed out a breath of amusement.

The amusement died a quick death when she got the picture message. It was of her, clearly taken at some point when she'd been too caught up in an arcade game to notice. Nora was in the foreground, giving the camera a stoic salute as Blake played in the background. None of that was what had Blake staring at the screen in surprise, however. That honor belonged to the fact that Weiss claimed to have gotten the image from Ruby, who'd evidently sent her quite a few similar images or the course of the week.

Images Blake's little leader most _certainly_ never mentioned receiving to _her_. A suspicion, long brewing in the back of her head started to solidify.

Before she had the chance to interrogate Weiss for further details, Nora came barreling into her. Blake staggered, nearly dropping her scroll, and just managed to correct her balance before Nora was poking at her arm for her attention.

"Wha—Nora, give me some warn—" She cut herself off as a small pendant was shoved into her free hand.

"There ya go! Can't have you go forgettin' your first run through an arcade with little ol' Nora, can we?" Nora crowed as Blake stared down in shock at the small token she'd received.

It was a small pendant she could attach to her scroll, nothing fancy or eye-catching, little more than a cute little fish on a strap.

It was perfect.

"It's 'cause you like fishies so much." Nora said, sounding almost… bashful, "I thought maybe you'd like it, and we got enough tickets so…"

Blake wet her lips, shocked amber eyes meeting electric blue for a long moment before she responded. "I love it, thank you."

Nora's smile lit up the arcade like the morning sun and her arms wrapped around Blake in what was—for her—a shockingly gentle hug before she scampered off, calling over her shoulder for Blake to hurry up.

Blake, for her part, moved considerably more slowly as she trudged out of the flashing lights and whizzing sounds that filled the arcade, her mind a jumbled mess. Her ingrained paranoia was dying to know what her team was up to, since they'd apparently been receiving regular updates about her condition from team JNPR; A quick check showed her that Ruby and Yang hadn't been online that day, taking out that course of inquiry. There was really only one explanation for what she'd seen, only one conclusion to draw, and that was—

Her train of thought was completely derailed when a pink-gloved hand wrapped around her wrist and dragged her bodily out the door, her yowl echoing out behind them as her limbs flailed in the wind of their passage.

/*/

Blake was shocked by how many people showed up for a pancake eating contest. Granted, the park they were in wasn't filled, but there were still far more people than she would have expected. Nora had left her with Jaune and Pyrrha—the latter of which looking flushed and happy—who'd handed her a plastic water bottle and ushered her to their seats right up front. Blake had given the two a searching look, considered interrogating them over Weiss' message, and promptly been distracted when she realized that Nora had climbed the stage before any of the other competitors had taken their place.

The crowd chuckled as the girl made a show of checking the seating and silverware, no doubt ensuring that there'd be no foul play on her watch. Or at least none that she didn't initiate. Blake might have been worried, but Jaune hadn't been concerned. On the contrary, he'd simply rolled their eyes good naturedly when Blake had brought up the topic before continuing to question her on Nora's behavior. Evidently the bubbly girl had gotten the entirety of team JNPR on some kind of watch list at the establishment and he wanted to make sure they could still go there, who knew? She answered the blonde leader as well as she could, all the while keeping one eye on her scroll. She'd wanted to send Yang a probing message, but her partner hadn't been online all day. Blake let out a frustrated hiss but went silent when the low murmur of conversation around her died down.

Several competitors walked onto the stage, waving as family and friends hooted and hollered. As they lined up by their respective seats, Nora bounced over to her own, a mad grin overtaking her features as she lined up the cutlery to her liking. Blake might have begun to worry about the safety of everyone at the table—the way Nora's excited vibrating was ramping up in intensity had to warn of _some_ kind of impending explosion—but Ren appeared out of seemingly nowhere to lay a calming hand on his partner's shoulder. Blake let out a sigh of relief as Nora seemed to relax under the quiet boy's touch, no longer looking as if she was going to spontaneously combust even as she shot Ren a look of excitement and leaned up to whisper something in his ear before bolting off the stage. Blake rolled her eyes affectionately, hoping that they wouldn't have to wait long before Nora returned to start the competition.

Ren took her seat.

Blake's jaw hit the ground.

"I'm so proud of him!" Nora squealed, materializing in what Blake had assumed would be Ren's spot beside her, "It was a loooong journey, but it'll be all worth it when he brings home that trophy!"

"Don't go counting your eggs before they hatch." Jaune argued reasonably, flipping through what appeared to be a flyer listing the competitors, "He's up against a girl who calls herself Pancake Patty, I mean, she's got 'pancake' in her name!"

Nora scoffed, saying something about 'that hussy' that Blake didn't catch. She just stared uncomprehendingly at the stage, where Ren sat looking entirely unperturbed by the universe-shattering implications of what was happening.

Her scroll slipped from limp fingers, the message she'd been typing out completely forgotten as she struggled to get her mind to reboot. "I—Buh—Wha?"

Pyrrha, who'd been watching her with mild concern, burst out into a peal of laughter. The redhead covered her mouth and averted her eyes when Blake's shocked amber gaze met her own. "I'm—I'm sorry!" She gasped, and to Blake's shock Nora grudgingly slapped a five-Lien note into Jaune's smugly waiting palm.

"It shouldn't be that surprising that Renny is so multi-talented." The girl grumbled irritably.

"It's all about who's _not_ up there." Jaune shot back with a satisfied smirk, pocketing the money.

"Explain." Blake managed to choke out.

"Nora." Jaune and Pyrrha chorused at the same time as Nora said 'Me.'

Well. That really did pretty much explain everything, didn't it?

Blake was pulled out of her thoughts by the announcer starting a countdown that had the rest of team JNPR leaning forward on their seats, and Blake found herself joining in on their calls of encouragement.

The announcer hit zero and—

Oh.

Oh Brothers.

She'd never be able to look at Ren the same way after this. It was bad enough that Nora seemed to defy all sense of reason (and occasionally the laws of physics), so she'd held onto hope that her partner was a little less cosmically horrifying. Seriously, where was he _putting_ all of that?!

"MAKE MAMA PROUD!" Nora howled over the cheering crowd.

"JNPR represent!" Jaune roared.

Both team members looked to Pyrrha expectantly, and the redhead sighed before punching her fist into the air, "GIVE THEM NOT BUT THE TASTE OF DEFEAT!" She screeched.

Despite herself, Blake snorted. Dammit Yang…

What followed was a frenzied blur in which Blake surrendered to the madness her life had become steeped in ever since she'd started attending Beacon academy. The crowd cheered and howled like a crazed animal, offering advice, condolences, and jabs that seemed to fall upon deaf ears as the remaining competitors wolfed down their food. JNPR were some of the loudest voices of all (mainly Nora), and Blake found herself offering the occasional shout along with them as she watched Ren pack in pancakes like he had a tiny Nora living in his belly.

It was sheer madness, and to her shock she found herself enjoying every second of it.

Blake smiled the first true, full faced smile that had graced her lips in the week her team had been gone. Gods above, she was glad she'd come to Beacon.

/*/

Blake wasn't entirely certain how Ren managed to stand for the presentation of the trophy, but he accepted it with his usual stoicism. Or maybe it was just indigestion… he _was_ holding himself remarkably stiffly. Team JNPR and Blake were standing off the side during the presentation, Nora hanging off Blake for support. The orange-haired spitfire had evidently been much more nervous that she'd let on.

"That was a good match." The woman Jaune had identified as Patty (she _refused_ to dignify her by using her whole name) said, sidling up as soon as the ceremony ended giving Ren and admiring look, "Hafta say, you really came outta nowhere… and here I thought I knew all the best competitors in Vale."

"I had a good coach." Ren demurred politely, "I look forward to our next match, miss Patty."

"Oh, that's just my stage name." The young woman laughed, before giving Ren an appraising look, "I'm Violet, and your cute little keister'll be _mine_ the next time we meet."

Blake felt her aura (and possibly something else) crack as the force of Nora's grip on her arm increased exponentially.

"Oh, um—" Ren started, shocked out of his formal tone.

"In every sense of that phrase." Violet purred, locking eyes with the gob smacked teen and giving him a sultry wink, "I like a man who can give me a good competition."

Someone in the crowd wolf whistled as Violet sauntered off the stage, hips swaying seductively. Ren stared after her with a pole-axed expression, apparently oblivious to Nora's snarls as Jaune fought to hold her back and Pyrrha wrestled the girl's scroll out of her hand before she could summon her weapon locker. Blake took the opportunity to edge away from the girl before things got explosively out of hand and walked over to congratulate the stunned boy. "Looks like you have your first fan." She observed dryly.

Ren shook his head dumbly, "And here I thought Nora was joking when she said girls like a man with an appetite."

"I don't think she was expecting another girl like that to show." Blake observed, glancing over to where Nora was burning holes in the crowd with her glare. Jaune had released her but kept a hand loosely on her shoulder as he massaged his ribs with a grimace.

"Wait, another?"

Blake twitched at her slip-up, was she really going to get involved in team JNPR's love life _twice_ in one day?

The fish pendant on her scroll burned in her pocket.

"Just take your 'coach' to do something fun later." She said, clapping his shoulder and marching off stage, "She was cheering you on with everything she had." Ren was silent, but Blake caught the contemplative look he sent his partner's way and smiled to herself. She'd call that a favor returned. Blake gracefully slipped through the crowd like a shadow until she made it to where JNPR had stashed their supplies. She didn't really expect someone to have messed with them, but it was still a small relief to find them exactly as they'd left them, and she quickly gathered them together before settling down to wait.

JNPR didn't make her wait long, breaking through the crowd before Blake could even consider cracking open the little cooler to see if any water bottles survived. They're chatting happily amongst themselves, and although Nora is standing a little closer to Ren than normal it looks like their little brawl has been forgotten.

They look like the kids Blake knows they are, happy, untouched by the death and hatred that all too often consumes good people just like them; That had consumed Blake herself, once upon a time.

Blake smiled, and it's the reminder she needs that she's _also_ just a kid. One that grew up in a bad situation, sure, but no less deserving of peace and happiness because of it.

"So." Jaune said, reaching up to rub the back of his neck as he fixed her with an awkward smile, "Thanks for coming along, it really does mean a lot to us."

Blake smiled, "It was no trouble." She said simply, her heart swelling with affection for her sister team, "I had fun."

Jaune looked like she'd made his day and she closed her eyes, shaking her head with a soft chuckle as he launched into a rambling speech about how he'd hoped she'd have that reaction.

"We didn't do too bad, all things considered." Nora chimed in, her voice suspiciously innocent and airy, "And to think Yang was _so_ convinced we'd never get her to agree to coming."

…

Blake's eyes shot open to the sound of shattering glass in her head.

Jaune looked almost nauseous, "Nora!" He wailed, giving his teammate a horrified look, " _WHY?!_ "

"One more day, Nora," Ren said, shaking his head, "We were so close."

"Oh, whoops, I forgot." Nora said disingenuously, "Just like a certain _someone_ forgot to help me keep nasty, clingy, _harpies_ away from—"

Jaune and Nora fell into squabbling, but Blake tuned them out. It'd be pointless to press them for information, Nora was Nora and Jaune was much more resilient and craftier than she'd ever believed. That didn't leave her without options, however. She'd been in The White Fang long enough to know that when faced with a difficult opponent, you went for the weakest link. Accusing amber eyes fell on Pyrrha, who twitched nervously under her glare.

"Pyrrha." Blake said, her voice dangerously sweet, "I think we need to have a quick talk, just us girls."

Pyrrha shot Jaune (who'd cut off his argument with Nora as soon as Blake had spoken) a desperate look and the boy made an X over his chest with both arms as he shook his head rapidly, mouthing 'no'. "Can I bring Jaune?" She asked, cringing, her voice small.

"No." Blake replied in a glacial voice that would have made Weiss proud. The Champion wilted under her icy glare, apparently resigned to her fate as she stepped forward like a prisoner walking towards the gallows.

"Ok, ok!" Jaune shouted, catching The Invincible Girl and pulling her behind him even as he flinched under Blake's thunderous look (She was _not_ happy to see that, no matter how much her gut swooped at the sight!), "So Yang and Ruby _might_ have asked us to make sure you didn't spend the entirety of break all by yourself." Blake let out an irritated hiss, she'd _told_ them that she'd be fine! Ugh! It was so like them to not listen to her; It wasn't like she would have been miserable if she'd been left to herself!

Except… that wasn't true, was it? She hadn't expected spending time with team JNPR to be as enjoyable as it had been. She'd still had her alone time; it'd just been supplemented with time spent with a team as kooky and wild as her own.

"So, what? It was all just a job? Trying to get on Yang's good side?" Blake asked tonelessly, her face carefully blank.

Jaune's expression was heart wrenching, he looked like she'd just stabbed him. "What?!" He cried, aghast, " _No!_ Of _course_ we'd have done the same thing either way! Yang's just the one who told us you'd be all by yourself!"

That was… oddly reassuring to hear. Blake suddenly felt like it was easier to breathe.

"Blakey," Nora said, giving both her and Jaune an apologetic look, "We wouldn't have done this if we didn't want to spend time with you. We were just kinda thinkin' we could share all the fun we'd have." She flushed a little, looking away, "I, uh, didn't know you'd think _that_ when you found out."

"It would have come out eventually." Ren said reasonably, stepping in for his partner and giving Jaune an apologetic look, "Better now when we can assure her of our intentions ourselves than later when we cannot."

Jaune sighed but accepted the point with a nod, "Probably better this way," He chuckled weakly, "I mean, can you imagine what Yang might have said when she got back?"

"She does have a talent for stirring up trouble." Ren observed with a wry smile.

"It's an older sibling thing," Jaune said with a shudder, "Trust me."

"We truly didn't mean any harm, Blake." Pyrrha said quietly, pushing out of Jaune's shadow, her distressed emerald eyes meeting Blake's amber ones with the redhead's signature quiet sincerity.

Blake looked away. Jaune and Ren's little conversation had given her the time she needed to begin to compose herself, but her mind was still a mess of swirling emotions. Logically, she knew that team JNPR wouldn't ever use her as a steppingstone to further their ambitions, but it was difficult to move past the pain and paranoia that clouded her judgement.

Blake Belladonna was accustomed to being used. The White Fang had wanted her for her last name, it gave their rogue cause legitimacy that they so sorely needed. Adam had wanted her, claimed to love her, but as the years and doubts had piled on Blake began to wonder: Did Adam really love _her_? Or the girl he'd built up in her place inside his own head?

Of course, it wasn't like she was much better in that regard; It had taken her _years_ to finally recognize what he had become.

And that was exactly the problem, wasn't it? She wasn't sure she could trust herself to know what someone she cared for was thinking; To _know_ if they wanted _her_ or _wanted_ her.

"I—I need some time to think." Blake stammered, stepping away from the group, eyes darting about for a means of escape. She saw the sudden panic on the faces of team JNPR, and it only stoked the fires of her own, she had to move had to get away had to—

" **STOP!** "

The command echoed across the clearing and reverberated in her bones, and child soldier she had been trained to be, she found herself snapping to attention at the authority in its tone. Soft footsteps approached from behind her, slow and measured, before a gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder.

It was warm.

"You can have all the space you need." The voice said quietly, gently, "But you're not in the right mindset to be wandering around Vale alone at this time. You can take the first bullhead back, and we'll take the second, but you _will_ go back to Beacon where it's safe before you do anything else."

Blake's mouth moved to form the reflexive response conditioned by years in The Fang, but she bit down on it _hard_ as the hand gently turned her around. Panicked amber eyes met ocean blue, and for a moment she got lost in them. They were deep, choppy, clumsy, but hiding so much more beneath the surface than anyone could have ever imagined.

The warmth grew. Strength from those ocean eyes, the windows of the soul, seemed to pour down his arm and into her body. It coursed through her veins and she felt herself relax by the smallest of margins, eyes dilating back from panicked pinpricks to their normal size as a feeling of safety and contentment flowed through her.

She broke the gaze first, looking away and stepping back, but nodded to tell him she'd heard.

Jaune sighed in relief, an explosive sound that belied his nerves, only to freeze when he noticed that they'd had an audience. Perhaps he hadn't realized how much his voice had carried, but they were hardly alone in the park and all eyes had come to rest on them. Jaune laughed awkwardly, voice notably high pitched as he noted all the attention they'd attracted. "Welp," He said in a tone of forced cheer, "You go ahead and head out first. Let us know if—when, you're ready to talk."

Blake nodded mutely and he let out that desperate laugh again, all the confidence and power abruptly gone now that it was no longer needed. The other members of his team parted around her as she trudged back towards the landing pad, and she was simultaneously relieved and disappointed that they didn't follow as she moved away and out of sight.

Her mind whirled as she boarded the first available bullhead, but the paranoia and panic she'd felt building before stayed distant. She closed her eyes and relaxed back into her seat, allowing the steady hum of the engine to lull her into a false sense of security.

Unbidden, her mind conjured up a memory she hadn't allowed herself to dwell on for a long time; Another gentle hum that had warmed her heart and reverberated throughout her body as her mother had held her tightly. The low rumble of the engines tickled her cheeks, and she remembered the deep baritone of her father's voice as he'd sung her to sleep.

Her parents, who she'd abandoned to join the terrorist cell they'd so strongly disavowed. Her parents, who she still hadn't contacted even after she'd freed herself of the very trap they'd tried to warn her away from in the first place.

How much had she lost because she was too afraid to face the ones she loved?

Blake made her way back to her room in a daze, the silence she'd so welcomed before suddenly weighing upon her like chains. Tired amber eyes flicked across the precariously balanced bunkbeds, and she was shocked by the pang of longing that shot through her when she saw them empty.

Blake Belladonna didn't need people. She was used to solitude.

But she didn't _want_ to be alone anymore.

It was all her team's fault. RWBY had made her realize just how much she hungered for the acceptance of people who saw her for who she was. She'd _thought_ she had that in The White Fang but, ironically, an organization founded to end racism didn't bother to look past the cat ears on her head. Perhaps if they had, they would have noticed the doubts before they ate away at her loyalty to a cause that seemed to shift further and further from what she believed.

No, it had been team RWBY that had first seen her for all of who she was. They'd gotten along with the quiet, bookish girl with the sardonic wit and deadpan expressions; They'd thought little of the Faunus who'd been too scared to reveal herself, and they'd accepted the repentant terrorist who they'd unknowingly shared a room with.

Blake's eyes drifted to the door. Team RWBY hadn't been the only team to accept her for all she was.

Jaune, the boy no one expected much from. He was the butt of their classmate's jokes, and yet he'd already proven himself more courageous (or perhaps foolish) then all of them. He'd had none of their advantages, not a lick of combat training or even much in the way of a formal education. His apparent 'hero' of a father hadn't even bothered to unlock his Aura, despite the fact that the simple ritual could have saved his life hundreds of times over in a world where they were constantly under threat from the encroaching forces of darkness. In spite of all of that, he'd still had the courage and cunning to pursue his dreams; He'd started with nothing, but had been willing to scream and rage in the face of fate to carve out his own destiny.

Blake and the rest of his classmates had been training for years; The fact that he was somehow managing to close the distance between them in less than one should have been absolutely staggering to anyone paying attention. Jaune had big dreams, and the willpower and tenacity to realize them.

Pyrrha, The Invincible Girl who was anything but. The redhead hid it well, perhaps nearly as well as Weiss hid her own troubles, but Blake had seen the pain and loneliness lurking behind those emerald eyes. Pyrrha longed for connection in a way that spoke to Blake; They both wanted to be seen for more than the labels other had forced upon them, but they were both also unsure how to do so, but Pyrrha couldn't hide hers behind a little black bow. Of all the members of team JNPR, Blake felt like she and Pyrrha were the closest. They both understood the pain of isolation and the struggle to escape it, but they differed in one important aspect: Blake still struggled to accept, or even understand, the love of others. She'd been burned too many times, by Adam, by The Fang, she'd even fled from her parents. Pyrrha hadn't lost that, and Blake could only pray that she never would. The girl was so full of love. Love for the team that had become a family, and love for the boy who'd given it to her and asked for nothing in return.

Ren, the boy whose actions spoke much louder than his words ever would. He was the emotional support of his team, always ready with a calming word or touch. Blake had wondered at first how _Nora_ of all people could have been his best friend, but she was beginning to see the ways they complimented each other. Ren was Yin to his partner's Yang, the moon to her burning sun. He was calm, collected, and utterly loyal to those he loved. She could see where Nora rubbed off on him in the occasional bouts of utter recklessness he displayed in combat. She'd been a little preoccupied when team JNPR had gone toe-to-toe with the Deathstalker, but she hadn't expected to glance over and see Ren of all people holding onto its stinger like a spider monkey and unloading a full clip into the sensitive joint.

Nora, the girl with the soul of a firework: disorienting and terrifying when right in your face but dazzling when you took a step back to get the whole picture. Blake reached down to feel the fish pendant through the fabric of her pocket with a small frown. She hadn't given Nora the chance she deserved; Underneath all the madness and hyperactivity, the girl was far more empathetic than she would have ever believed. When she found out that the pair had been orphans since they were small, she'd been unable to believe it. They just seemed so… well adjusted, so happy. Blake only realized now how much of that was rooted in the bond they shared, and it made her wonder just how much of the bubbly girl's energy was a strategy meant to keep them happy and upbeat in a world that had constantly strained against them. Nora knew pain like few others; Blake had seen that in the careful consideration she'd been shown at the arcade, the desperate hope that had lurked behind lightning blue eyes as a pendant was handed over like a peace-offering.

She'd be a fool to give that up. To give _them_ up.

Blake opened her door, stepped across the hall, and hesitated with her hand outstretched to knock. What if they had felt hurt by her sudden departure? What if they'd seen her panic as a weakness and didn't want her there anymore? What if—

The door opened, and Jaune nearly collided into her with the plate of fish he was holding. "Look, I don't think she ate so I'll just leave it outside her door and if she doesn't want it she doesn't have to—" He cut himself off with a startled (and rather embarrassingly high-pitched) yelp, toppling backwards as he lurched to avoid running into her. The plate would have fallen but Ren managed to lunge forward and catch it deftly in one hand, letting out a relieved sigh when he saved his creation.

That sigh turned into an apologetic grimace when he noticed Jaune glaring up at him balefully from the floor. "Er, sorry. Priorities." He said with a helpless shrug. Jaune groaned but seemed to accept that with an ease that spoke of disturbing familiarity as he climbed to his feet.

As one team JNPR turned to face her, their expressions a mix of hope and anxiety.

Blake swallowed heavily, she'd never been good at this kind of thing and their sincere eyes only pinned her down further under the weight of what she stood to lose. "I-I'm sor—"

"There's nothing to apologize for." Ren interrupted her gently, "You were shocked, and we could have broached the subject better."

Blake blinked, forcibly reminded of her last apology that Weiss had so bluntly shot down, "But—"

Jaune raised a hand with a smile, and her words died in her throat once more, "It's not a problem for us, so don't stress about it, Blake." He said calmly.

"Yeah!" Nora piped up from behind, dragging her feet across the floor bashfully, "I really am sorry, Blakey… I was just trying to have a little fun…"

"Don't beat yourself up for something that needed no forgiveness in the first place." Pyrrha chimed in with a quiet smile.

Blake could only stare, "Why couldn't I have met people like you and team RWBY years ago?" She asked with a broken giggle, "I would have made a lot less mistakes."

"Your mistakes led you here." Ren, his pink eyes soft, "Mistakes show us new paths to walk, new ways to improve ourselves. Your mistakes do not define you any more than your triumphs do; You are your own person and if it was your mistakes that made you who you are today, we are thankful for them."

Amber eyes widened and Blake quickly turned away. She reached up to fix her bow, using it as a pretext for wiping away the sudden moisture that had accumulated in her eyes. Team JNPR waited patiently as she composed herself, Jaune turning to ask Ren if he'd made that up himself (likely to give her some privacy).

Blake was coming to realize that relationships were as difficult as you made them. She and Adam had hid parts of themselves away from each other, only revealing what they believed to be safe. Their relationship had become so entangled in the web of lies and half-truths that they'd built between themselves that they'd lost sight of each other long ago.

Blake had a problem. She ran from her issues and hid herself from those she was close to so she could protect her wounded heart. She'd tried to do just that when her team had learned her secret. Maybe… maybe she could try harder to work around that. It would take time, so much time, for her to move past that impulse to flee… but it would be worth it.

Blake Belladonna looked over the smiling faces that greeted her as she turned around, just as her own team once had, and had one simple thought: _I may run again, I may fall. But now I have people who I_ know _will chase me down and love me anyway._

She'd work to improve herself for them. For team JNPR, for the once-friends she left behind, and for her own team who'd started it all.

Her eyes fell upon the plate of fish Ren still held protectively in one hand, the very same dish that had started her down this route of madness and self-discovery. "Is that meant for me?" She asked, a peace offering, "Because I was hoping we could eat together."

/*/

Epilogue

Blake was sitting in her room, reading a book, when the door burst open and a red blur slammed into her like an Atlesian missile. Her bed shook under the impact, and for a moment she feared that their homemade bunkbeds would collapse and crush them both. Thankfully—no doubt empowered by whatever eldritch magic the sisters had used to force them to defy the laws of physics over the course of their stay—the beds held.

"Blake!" Her little leader shrieked, pressing her adorable face impossibly further into Blake's personal bubble, "I missed you! Did you miss me?! Didja!?"

"Yes Ruby." Blake said, amused, as she struggled to shrug off the girl's grasping attempts to see what book she was reading.

"Good." Ruby said, clearly mollified, as she zipped back into the hallway to grab the bags she'd no doubt left behind. Blake sighed, shoving a bookmark in place before hiding her novel beneath her pillow, but couldn't hide her smile as she rose to help out.

"Hello~" Yang sang as Blake stepped out into the hall. The blonde was still making her way towards them, moving at a more sensible speed as her little sister zipped about like an anxious hummingbird. It was clear that Ruby was eager to get back into the swing of things, a thought Blake had little doubt her partner shared even if she moved at a slower pace.

"Welcome back." Blake said simply, moving forward to take one of the multitude of bags Yang was casually carrying like they _didn't_ weigh a few hundred pounds collectively. She let out a startled squawk as Yang dropped them all to pull her into a crushing hug.

"Aw, we can't have that!" Her partner crooned, crushing Blake affectionately into her cleavage, "Don't act so cold, kitty-cat, I know you missed us." Blake spluttered indignantly at the nickname, struggling to free herself, but it was somewhat ruined by the small smile she couldn't repress. She was certain Yang had seen it if the smug smile was anything to go off.

"No! Let her breathe, bad Yang!" Ruby cried, pulling uselessly on one of her sister's arms.

"Whoops, sorry." Yang said, releasing Blake (who really had been running out of air) to snag her little sister instead, "I always forget how jealous you get, Rubes."

"Noooo~" Ruby wailed as Yang noogied her affectionately, and Blake couldn't have stopped the small snort of laughter that escaped her if she tried.

"It's good to have you back." She said over her shoulder, grabbing a few of the bags and leaving Ruby to her fate.

"Traitor! Jerkface! Uh, traitorous person who… traitorizes?" Ruby cried indignantly from behind her.

Blake turned to give her leader a searching look as Yang finally released her, "We had to get up real early to catch the ship here from Patch." The blonde explained, "Rubes here probably needs a nap."

"You need a nap." Ruby protested grumpily, sticking her tongue out at her sister once she was safely out of arms reach before running off.

Yang laughed, reaching down to gather up the remainder of the bags, "Naw. This hothead _does_ need to _cool off_ with a shower, though."

Ruby's groan was audible through the door of their room, and Yang cackled as she shouldered her way in and dropped off the bags with an audible sigh of relief. "Good to be back." She said, before turning to eye Blake expectantly, "You should tell me all about what you got up to when I'm done, read any books that _aroused_ your interest?"

Blake's eyes narrowed, but she bit back her normal defense of the _literature_ she enjoyed in favor of giving her partner a smug little smile. "I didn't get up to anything too exciting." She said innocently, "I did bump into Jaune the other day though, turns out he has a lot of funny stories, did you know he has _seven_ sisters?"

"Woah, seriously?" Yang asked, her immediate suspicion drowned out by the shocking news, "Geez, Ruby, can you imagine having 6 more of me?"

Ruby twitched from where she was sitting on her bed, looking terrified, but Blake just laughed. "Yeah, he said it was a dog-eat-dog world. Had to do what he had to do to survive, or they'd just walk all over him."

"Weird, never would have pegged him for having that many sisters with how he flailed about trying to get Weiss' attention." Yang mused, slipping into the bathroom, "Tell me more when I get out, aight?"

Blake nodded, and the door closed. She waited until she heard Yang's off-key humming before she moved towards her bed. 3…2…1…

"So." Ruby started, clearly trying to disguise her interest and just as clearly failing, "You saw Jaune during break? Did you see any of the other members of team JNPR?"

Blake smiled a vicious little smile; one she promptly hid before turning around to face her leader. "Oh, here and there." She said airily, "We bumped into each other a few times, nothing more than that."

"But-!" Ruby started, before cutting herself off with a squeak. Blake almost laughed at the way the girl desperately looked around, as if she'd find a means of correcting her conveniently laying against a wall. "That's, that's all?" She asked, her voice quaking with a downright painful attempt to sound casually disinterested.

"That's all." Blake said, fighting to keep the smile off her face as one of Ruby's eyes twitched.

Blake could practically _see_ the thoughts bouncing around Ruby's head like insects swarming a lightbulb, strategies being formed and discarded as the girl tried to find a way to pry out the information she wanted. The Faunus didn't have to wait long. "That can't be _all_ ," Ruby started slowly, thoughts clearly racing as she straightened her combat skirt in what Blake was convinced she thought was a casual manner, "I heard from Yang, who heard from Weiss, who mentioned that she got a text from Nora about you going to an arcade together. Yeah!"

"That's weird." Blake said, putting a finger up to her lips thoughtfully, "Weiss told _me_ that she'd heard it from you. Even included a picture you sent her."

"Urk!" Ruby said, silver eyes going wide before she practically teleported down to grab Blake by her shoulders and shake her roughly, "Okay fine I heard it from Nora and I've been dying to hear more so tell me tell me _tell me_!" She cried in one breath, practically foaming at the mouth in her eagerness to get details.

"Alright, alright," Blake said, prying her leader's fingers off her shoulders and trying to get the room to stop spinning, "We went to an arcade."

"And?!" Ruby pressed, squealing a little with joy.

"We went to an arcade." Blake finished, smiling viciously.

She might have felt a _little_ bad at the look of absolute betrayal on Ruby's face. She looked like someone had just informed her that cookies had been declared illegal.

"Blaaaaake~" Ruby whined, practically vibrating with eagerness for more information, "You can't _do_ this to me! I worked so _hard_ for that, you can't just—uh, wait."

Blake gave her a victorious look. "Ruby," She said, savoring the word like a fine piece of tuna, "You wouldn't be _hiding_ anything from me, would you?"

"No!" Ruby squeaked, eyes darting desperately around the room for some means of salvation, the girl really couldn't lie to save her life.

"Nothing like, I don't know, a list of instructions that you passed along to a fellow team that might have been just a _little_ demeaning?"

Ruby's eyes went wide even as her face paled, "List? What list? I don't know anything about any lists, and besides, I tried to stop her anyway!"

Blake pulled her scroll from her pocked with a flourish, deeply enjoying the way Ruby seemed to shrink into herself at the motion. Gods, Yang really was rubbing off on her. "Pet sitting tasks for team JNPR." She read, "Task one: A Blake needs three square meals a day, plus a snack, or she gets cranky. Task two: A Blake needs lots of exercise, and she's not always good about that if she's distracted or lonely."

Ruby laughed nervously, "Haha, yeah… she really got carried away with that, didn't she?"

"Task three: A Blake needs lots of love and attention, but not too much or she gets cranky! Make sure to give her a good amount of alone time, but don't leave her too long or she also gets cranky!"

"Oh, I'm dead." Ruby said miserably.

"Don't be so dramatic." Blake said, rolling her eyes as she slipped her scroll away. There was more, of course there was more, but she felt like she'd made her point. "Don't pretend that you didn't help though, I _know_ that Yang would have needed some help figuring out my schedule and favorite spots."

"Er, uh, yeah. Haha…" Ruby laughed awkwardly, her silver eyes downcast.

Blake sighed, "It's fine, I'm not mad." She said with a small smile.

Silver peeked at her hopefully through Ruby's dark hair, "Really?"

"It'd be a little hypocritical." Blake said with a shrug, "So no, I'm not."

"Oh thank the Gods." Ruby breathed, wilting with relief, "I thought… well."

"Don't worry, _you're_ safe." Blake said with a predatory grin.

Ruby twitched, eyes widening as she mouthed 'you're' before flicking over to the bathroom door with shocked realization. "You didn't…"

"Turns out that Jaune's a bit of a pranking master." Blake said casually, "He's a bit of an expert when it comes to pranking older sisters."

Ruby snorted, then began to cackle maniacally, "You did!" She crowed.

"Don't tell her where I'm going." Blake said with a wink, stepping gingerly past the bathroom and moving to the door. She'd had a _lot_ of experience waiting for Yang to get out of the shower over the course of their stay at Beacon, and if that experience told her anything it was that her partner should be busting out her hair supplies right about…

"What the FU—"

There was her cue. Blake wrenched the door open to the music of Ruby busting a gut and leapt out into the hallway. She knocked gently on the door to team JNPR's room, a quick staccato rhythm, and rushed inside as soon as it opened. "Please tell me you didn't use what I taught you for evil…" Jaune begged, face going white at the furious sounds emanating from her dorm room.

Blake shrugged, "I did not use your teachings for evil." She deadpanned in the most insincere manner she could manage.

"Shiiiiit." Jaune said, wiping a hand down his face.

"Should we barricade the door?" Ren suggested calmly, not even bothering to look up from the book he was reading.

"No." Jaune decided, looking a little ill, "Our best bet is to hide her and pretend we know _nothing_. Just like the bakery incident."

"What bakery?" Nora chimed in dutifully.

"Exactly." Jaune said, giving her double finger guns before turning to the rest of his team. "Pyrrha, go take a shower. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll barge in to make sure it's not Blake and get thrown off the scent. Plus, well…"

"Thank you." Pyrrha said with a small smile, dutifully grabbing what she needed and heading towards their shared bathroom, "I know that I'm not the best at hiding things, Jaune."

Blake snorted, and the redhead shot her a warning look. "You know…" Nora said, her eyes glinting dangerously, it'd _really_ throw her off the scent if she found Jaune in there with her…"

"What? Why?" Jaune asked, "Do you think she's gonna get distracted if she finds us both brushing our teeth or something?"

"Or something." Nora said cryptically, making Pyrrha go as red as her hair.

" _Nothat'sfine_!" The Champion squeaked desperately, and Blake could practically see the steam pouring from her ears as she slammed the door on Nora's cackles.

Jaune gave them all a bemused look but shrugged it off after a moment. "Nora, start tying the bedsheets together, Ren and I'll keep her busy long enough to get Blake out the window if she checks here. Then we'll just pull her back up and we'll be home free."

"Aye-aye cap'n!" Nora crowed, saluting, "Operation _Saucy Midnight Rendezvous_ is a go!"

"Atta' girl." Jaune said even as Blake choked at the name.

Her life really had changed since she'd came to Beacon, she reflected as she boldly hid from her partner's red-eyed rage. Since she'd found a team, friends, and more friends willing to hide her from the downright terrifying anger of one of those first friends.

When had she stopped thinking of her current life as atonement for her past? When had she started being willing to live in the moment and have fun?

What was Beacon doing to her? What were all these crazy, silly, _wonderful_ people doing to her?

Blake had made a lot of mistakes, mistakes she was still somewhat convinced she must eventually pay for; But as she listened to Pyrrha's startled (if just a tad forced) shriek and Yang's rapid-fire apologies from where she clung to the intricately knotted sheets hanging from the spear Nora had lodged into the side of the building, she couldn't help but smile. Maybe, just maybe, if those mistakes led her here… they just might have been worth it.


End file.
